I wanted to start by sharing one of my all time favorite songs. You can probably tell from the title of my post (and the inserted picture), but it’s called Long way home by ATB. Now, Germany is known for a lot of things: brats, beer (I want to go to Oktoberfest!), cars (Audi <3), and ATB. Haha looking over my list of things from Germany, makes me really want to go! (Go to Germany on my bucket list – check)
Anywho, I’m not going to devote my precious blog with a review of this song. (But if I really wanted to I could!) Anyways, the reason this song fits me so well is because well..I’m a long way home (13-14 hours away) give or take 🙂 That being said, I think ‘home is where the heart is’ definitely applies here (err, yes, I believe that sentence was grammatically correct). I’m on the journey of life and I am looking for a place to call ‘home.’ Whether that ‘home’ will be in Korea or Texas, no one knows (not even me~)

I find it highly interesting that time seems to be ‘faster’ over here here in the East i.e. Korea. First, there’s no daylight savings time (DST for those more informed 😉 ) As such, the age system is also whack over here. I gained 2 years the moment I stepped on Korean soil! Apparently, the time you spend in your mother’s..belly(9?) counts as a year and so the moment you are born you are 1 year old. Then, when the calendar turns to the next year, you gain another year thus you gain a total of 2 additional years. (Whereas us Smarties* in the West only get older when our birthdays pass)

I’m legally 26 years young by birth but 28 in Corea~(apparently Corea used to be the original spelling before the Japanese occupation changed it to Korea because J comes before K..) jk? but seriously, I’m freaking 28 in Korea! That’s like the higher end of the 20’s! 😦 I have my ‘helpful’ Korean relatives aka family telling me I need to ‘settle’ down or whatevs. And I tell them ‘yeah yeah sure sure’ but I’m thinkin [WHAT!? I’m too young for this shizzle]

I just got home after another long day of the daily grind I mean work. The daily grind, I mean work is tough but I’m getting used to it (at a snail’s crawl) and I’ve noticed some things. Maybe this stuff was around when I was still a student but there are so much politics involved. For example, the various cliques at work. Who you know, who you are close with, et al. (on a side note: who to suck up to, but I don’t like sucking at anything so I don’t do that :P) The motto of my blog is to ‘Look forward, so what~why not?’ I am trying my darndest to make that my motto of life. My old blog’s motto used to be ‘Through the looking glass’ but I thought to myself, that’s bullsnap. Looking back only takes you..back. I need to stay positive, and keep on truckin along! The highway of life is long (average lifespan is 80 years for males I believe). I’ve only just passed the quarter mark it seems, gotta make the most of it.

The folks at work (ie the ones who were in a relationship) kindly reminded me that tomorrow was Valentine’s Day. I won’t go bashing Valentine’s Day even though I’m single and I could. What I will bash is the stuff my team did to ‘celebrate’ Valentine’s Day. Basically, we made a Valentine’s Day card for the company owner and his right hand man (basically Dr. Evil and No. 2 haha jk?) Now my team is full of creative geniuses (aka girls) and one in particular suggested we leave lipstick impressions on the card so that when we (I and a coworker) go to present it to the owner, he (Dr. Evil haha I’m kidding!) can analyze and determine whose lipmarks are whose~ I won’t go into the details, but it involved lipstick (Pics coming soon!..maybe)

I think it’s funny just how widespread American mass media and values have infected the world. Now I know I am only speaking for a tiny speck on the map (*cough peninsula cough*), but I am sure Valentine’s Day is celebrated pretty much worldwide (or not if said country is ruled by a fat guy whose surname is Kim ^.^

I had plans to make plans for Valentine’s Day but suffice it to say they didn’t formulate. But that’s okay because I can spend all day working I mean dating with my creative genius (read: female) coworkers! woe is me~hehe they should call me Cloud ‘Edgar’ Ess

I’m going to enjoy tomorrow for what it is, just another day to look forward to and give thanks for. To Heaven above, I give thanks for this bread yada yada, etc et al.

I will close by referencing you (the reader) back to my picture. ATB looks like he’s taking a walk, and he’s probably a Long way home. Story of my life~ just keep walkin cuz I’m Awesome!

good night World Wide Web, Happy Valentine’s Day to those who ‘celebrate’ it. Seize the day!!

Hello blog it’s been awhile.I’m alive and well, just a bit cold these days. Winter is almost ending in Korea but it sure ain’t leaving quietly. Maybe it’s due to the Gangnam wind, but no matter what I wear it seems like the wind seeps into my bones. (pun intended)

I’ve been working for over 3 months now, I successfully passed by ‘probationary period’ and am now a Full time worker! Now that I am full time, I can take some days off without being necessarily sick (*cough hah cough). I keep telling myself this but I chose to work for my current company. I may whine and b!*ch sometimes, but I am a man and will live with my choices. (That’s my way of the…I mean life 🙂 ) Anyways, my teammates are cool! (for the most part) I highly respect my senior manager, she is AWESOME. Seriously though she has a huge heart even though she doesn’t express herself very well. I guess you could call her chic? (appears distant but is actually a very warm person)

The amount of time I have spent living in Gangnam coincides with my current job, give/take 1-2 months. When I used to commute to my University position down in the boonies, I only lived in Gangnam on the weekends. (Even then, I usually just partied and slept, oh wait I’m still doing that..hah) Work hard, play harder right? Kakaka…

I’m going to use you (my wonderfully lovely blog) to jot down some reminders. I may have mentioned this before, but writing in my blog is very therapeutic for me. It brings me inner peace so to speak 😀
– Life is short, gotta make the most of it
– Stay positive (the daily grind is tough..)
– Hard times make you appreciate the good ones
– Smile~
– Work, Play, Sleep, repeat (order can vary)
– Music is my thing
– Gangnam style (dress classy, dance crazy)
– Never forget
– Milk does a body good
– The mind is a powerful thing to waste (Use it or lose it!!)
– Breathe deep
– The journey is what’s important
– Keep going
– No regrets
– Look forward not back (on a related note? Spring forward, fall back)
– I look good~
– I’m awesome
– Laughter is the best medicine! MWAHAHAHAH 🙂 *^.^ 🙂

Hope all of yall enjoyed today’s episode in the life of YG

peace (V)

P.S. to those who know who/where my pics are from I will give a prize! ^^

It’s already 2013. I’ve been in Korea for almost 3 years now..spanning over 1000 days.

I haven’t made New Years resolutions in a while, why make them if you can’t keep them right??

I recently started a new job and I’m almost settled in except it’s so damn hard to wake up in the morning!! Anyways, my coworkers are cool and they are somewhat understanding of my different ‘cultural upbringing’ (i.e. raised in the States). Winter is in full force in Korea and it’s especially cold in Gangnam..I swear the winds in Gangnam are like knives! No matter how much I wear or cover up, it feels like the cold seeps into my bones. I miss my friends back home, I made some new friends this past year and 2012 was basically pretty up and down (mostly down). I’m going to start anew in 2013, the only way I can go is up! I’m not into resolutions but here are some things on my ‘to do list’ this year.

1. Get a new phone, I’ve used the same phone for 2 years and it’s time for a change – I am leaning heavily towards an LTE/4G phone. Any suggestions would be welcome.
2. Get a girlfriend! haha, just kidding – The old me would have wanted this but the new and older me is much more realistic..
3. Drink less! Seriously, ever since I moved ‘up’ to Seoul I have been drinking on average 4-5 days a week. This must stop or I’ll have a beer belly!
4. Work Hard, Play Harder – This phrase is awesome. Since most of my week I am working (5-6 days/week) whenever I get a day off, I will enjoy it to the fullest!
4a. Sleeping in is great, but I seriously need to be more efficient with my time. Time is money!!
5. Learn a new language. Maybe refresh my Spanish, or learn Chinese??

These are not ‘resolutions’ per se, just a reminder of things I need to get done, prioritized in a list form.
Life is good for me, I just need to stay positive and as they say in Korea “Fighting!!”

I’m sure you know what my title is talking about. That totally fantabulous song by the Korean rapper PSY! I won’t go into it too much but I just wanted to share that I live in Gangnam now. Social commentary on Korea aside, Gangnam is pretty nice to live in..in some respects. The fact that so much of the country’s top businesses are here means that it’s not the cleanest place to live. However, where there’s money, there are tons of hot girls! (and hot girls are always a sight for sore eyes) That being said, it’s unfortunate (?) that although there are many hot girls they all sort of look alike. Maybe this is due to the fact that Gangnam has the most plastic surgery clinics all centrally located.

This leads me to my topic of finally getting a full time job after several months of either being jobless or working part time (mostly the former). My full time job is conveniently at a plastic surgery clinic! Ha ha hah..what a twist eh? Now, the position I am working is a part of the “Global Business” team and I am the ‘English expert.’ I am in the office for at least 10 hours a day with a 1 hour lunch break. However, even though this is my first ‘real job’ working for corporate Korea is not easy. Long hours with no overtime pay and even worse I hardly get any vacation, I even work Saturdays! I will not give up though. This job will give me good experience and help me grow and learn more about Korean culture as well as Advertising/Marketing/Business related stuff. I see it as this way. I am thankful for the opportunity and even though the pay is pretty weak, I work for a plastic surgery clinic! If I work hard and get recognition here maybe I will get a nice pay boost.

I am thankful for many things and count my blessings everyday. Living in Gangnam definitely has its perk including 24-hour everything! (almost) I can get food delivered 24/7, even call something of a ‘maid service’ to clean my house or an ‘errand boy’ to get me medicine when I am sick. No wonder living here costs so damn much because of the convenience especially the transportation! I have access to 4 different subway lines, 2 are between 5-15 minutes away and 2 are between 15-20 minutes walking distance. I did not even mention the huge amount of buses I can take to almost anywhere within Seoul and surrounding suburbs. Anyways, I can legitimately tell a younger woman I encounter and say “Oppa Gangnam style” because I live in Gangnam hehe..

Unfortunately, ‘Gangnam style’ has been way too overplayed. Props to PSY for making such an addictive and hilarious song/music video. I’ll end with a picture. I thought it was effing hilarious!

I recently discovered the joy of tethering my smartphone and using my ‘unlimited bandwidth.’ It’s not a perfect connection and it turns off/on randomly but so far so good! (as I am writing this post, I hope I don’t get cut off again..)

Anyways, today I would like to talk about being productive. I had a pretty productive day in my humble opinion. I recently started working again, it’s not the best job I could get but it’s a job nonetheless. I had some good talks with friends this weekend. (Actually I was mostly listening but it was ACTIVE listening haha) I’m very fortunate with the people I meet in Korea. I’d like to think that everyone has a good heart or maybe I am being naive but so be it! I come from a pretty privileged background. I certainly wasn’t spoiled I think..too much hah. I’m 25 going on 26 and I do believe there is something like a ‘quarter life crisis.’ That being said, I can sulk and be lazy on my ass and complain all the time. OR I can get off my ass and do something about it. Coming to Korea made me open my eyes to many things as well as experience many things. However, that is just a tiny step of many more that I know I should take. I thought I had matured somewhat in my time here in Korea but when I reflect deeply on myself..I’ve still got more to learn and mature. I guess that is what’s life is about. I can’t recall the exact quote but, “it’s not the end that is important but the journey (how you get there)” Process could also fill in for journey in that quote as well.

I’ve made some good friends in Korea, some natives some not. These guys all want me to succeed. Now it’s up to me to figure out what I want to do and make something of it! To be honest, I was told what to do growing up and I had certain expectations to fulfill. I thought graduating from college was the end but it turns out it was just the beginning. I’d like to consider my current situation as being independent. I came to this situation because I wanted to ‘run away’ at first. Sort of cast off my old life and start fresh over here. However, it turns out being ‘independent’ is much harder than it looks! No one is here to tell me what to do. I guess I miss that somewhat(?) Responsibility, expectations, pressure, etc were things I did not enjoy while living at home in Texas. I will admit that my biggest fault is being lazy. Even while attending UT, I procrastinated way too much. I think I am a chill guy and like to ‘go with the flow.’ Sometimes though, I get caught up in said flow and just drift along, like I used to when going to the “lazy river” water ride. Drifting along is all fine and well but it’s definitely not fulfilling my potential. I can only blame myself for making excuses not to do something.

I lack confidence.(especially around girls)I won’t make any excuses (nor apologize so damn much)

Girls will be in another blog post 🙂

Anyways, I had a productive day today. I went to work, had fun at work, then went to the gym afterwards. I get off sort of later than most (I also start working later than normal). I believe this is my first step of being productive. Now I just need to cut down on my ‘sleeping-in’ time (or go to sleep earlier..)